Is it difficult or uncomfortable when you're walking? You might have heel pain! In this video, podiatrist Dr. Melody Chong explains the causes of heel pain and possible treatments for it.

Transcript

I’m Dr. Melody Chong. I’m a podiatrist. I treat ankle, foot, and leg issues. I'm located at 3838 California Street and I've been in practice for over 25 years.

What causes heel pain?

Another common condition (for foot problems) is heel pain. It usually happens in very active people, and those with high arches and flat feet, which we just talked about. It usually occurs in the morning when one gets up, stands up from getting out of bed, and or after you're resting and sitting down for a while. It also often occurs at the end of the day when you're on your feet all day.

So what are some of the causes of this? It's usually inflamed tendons under the feet, inflamed bursae, or different tissues in the heel. Often the nerves can get trapped in the heel. Some other conditions that can cause heel pain are being overweight, the fat pad (fat beneath the foot) thinning out as you get older, poor foot structure, misalignment of the way you walk, and genetics. So those are the common causes of heel pain related to flat feet and high arches.

This x-ray (see image labeled NORMAL HEEL on the right) shows a normal heel. This x-ray (see image labeled HEEL WITH HEEL SPUR on the right) shows a heel with a bone spur.

Sometimes a bone spur can cause heel pain, but it's usually just the tissue underneath the foot that's causing the irritation on the bottom of the feet, the flat feet, or the high arch feet, and also at the heel.

What are treatments for heel pain?

Some of the common treatments include wearing the correct shoes, and padding the heels and/or the arches. Sometimes I give shots of cortisone to the heel. I often prescribe pain medications. I give a handout on stretching, applying ice and heat, and sometimes contrast baths.  Also, I will sometimes tape the foot, and I usually start out recommending inserts from the store. However, if none of these things work, then I do recommend custom inserts or orthotics because they help with the poor structure and mechanics. 

Usually, surgery is left until the very end if none of the other treatments I mentioned help.

So that's heel pain in relationship to low arches or flat feet.

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Related Links:

• About Melody Chong, D.P.M.

• Health Education Topics